Effect of Problem-Solving and Cooperative Learning Approaches on the Academic Performance of Secondary School Biology Students in Port Harcourt Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of problem-solving and cooperative learning strategies on the academic performance of secondary school Biology students in Port Harcourt Local Government Area (PHALGA), Rivers State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest non-equivalent control group design was employed to compare cooperative learning, problem-solving, and conventional lecture methods. The participants were 270 Senior Secondary Two (SS2) students (127 males and 143 females) drawn from three purposively selected public secondary schools. Data were collected using the Biology Achievement Test (BAT I & II), which was validated by experts in Science Education and demonstrated acceptable reliability (r = 0.78). Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), and post hoc tests at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed a statistically significant effect of instructional methods on students’ academic performance, F(2,263) = 280.579, p < 0.05. Students exposed to cooperative learning achieved significantly higher scores than those taught using problem-solving and lecture methods, with the lecture method yielding the lowest performance. Gender and the interaction between gender and instructional methods were not statistically significant. The study concludes that cooperative learning is a more effective instructional strategy for enhancing students’ achievement and engagement in Biology. It recommends the integration of cooperative and problem-solving approaches into Biology instruction to promote meaningful learning and equitable participation in secondary school science education.